HARTFORD -- Senate Minority Leader John McKinney has become the focal point of negotiations that will likely lead to a special exemption in the state Freedom of Information Act for families who lost members in the Sandy Hook Elementary School massacre.

After days of on-again, off-again talks with Gov. Dannel P. Malloy's office and Chief State's Attorney Kevin Kane, the eight-term Republican from Fairfield, whose district includes Newtown, said he's working for a "very narrow" exemption that will keep graphic photos of the 20 dead children and six adults from ever being released.

McKinney said last week's draft legislation will likely be edited further over the next few days. It's not traditional newspapers and TV stations that concern him, but rather, bloggers and others who could use the photos to push their pro-gun or anti-gun platforms.

Other groups, including the so-called truthers who claim the killings were staged to further President Barack Obama's anti-gun agenda, could use the images in their attempt to refute the shootings.

"There's a lot of bipartisan support to pass a measure that will provide protection for the families of the victims from some of the crime-scene evidence, specifically things like photos of the victims and the like," McKinney said.

The proposal would've allowed Newtown Town Clerk Debbie Aurelia to withhold death certificates for the 20 first-graders and six adults murdered at the school Dec. 14. It also would've suppressed 911 recordings of the slaughter as well as the crime-scene photos of everyone but shooter Adam Lanza, who committed suicide as police closed in.

Parents and family members would have been allowed to sign waivers to release photos and death certificates.

But the legislation was set aside late in the week amid long business sessions of the state House and Senate that have a midnight, June 5 adjournment deadline.

"We haven't reached a final conclusion yet because we're trying to balance the respect for our FOI laws and our desire to protect the families from further harm," McKinney said. "So we're going through the process of crafting something that protects the families.

"I'm unapologetic in my support and attempts to make sure the photos of the kids in that school are never released publicly. It's the right thing for the parents, the siblings and the community. It's the right thing to do."

Liberal documentary filmmaker Michael Moore recently announced he wanted to publish the photos of the dead to graphically show what even a semi-automatic weapon can do. Lanza fired about 150 rounds from his Bushmaster XM-15 during the five-minute assault on the school.

That weapon, and similar civilian versions of military assault rifles, have been banned from the state under a bipartisan legislative response to last December's school shootings.

"I respect the fact that the traditional news media have not shown things like these (crime-scene photos)," McKinney said. "Unfortunately, we live in a very different world of bloggers and the Internet."

At present, death certificates, including names, next of kin, cause of death and place of burial, are available through the state Department of Public Health.

State law requires Aurelia to release copies of the Sandy Hook documents, but she has declined. Aurelia's refusal is pending before the state Freedom of Information Commission.